by Dustytoes
These baby squirrels in my backyard were too cute to miss, so I grabbed my camera and took some photos as they munched away on birdseed.
The only way to get a good photographs of them is to catch them while they are still, so I took pictures from inside the house as they sat in the snow and ate.
Little red squirrels are much cuter than the big gray ones and we have plenty of the speedy little guys where I live in New Hampshire.
They dart about like little maniacs, always moving fast, unless they are stopping to chow down on birdseed. Because my kids gave me a nice, new camera last year, I can get some great shots of them from inside my house.
This one is young it seems, because he doesn't have a full bushy tail yet and he's tiny.
 Red Squirrel |
The red squirrel is so darn cute, it's hard not to like it. But they can be demanding and obnoxious. In my rental house, I would put feeders up and seed on the deck outside my back door. I had been getting only squirrels - red and gray - so I stopped putting seed on the deck.
One day I heard a thumping sound outside. When I went out, I saw a red squirrel running off and I found the entire rounded top of the wood handle of my shovel chewed off!
I think the little guy was ticked off that I was no longer giving him a free lunch!
 Red squirrel eating seeds |
I know that all wildlife needs to eat, but I don't believe they need that much help from us humans to survive. After all, we are told not to feed bears and other animals or they will become dependent on it.
In the case of squirrels, they become obnoxious and annoying when they don't get what they want.
I do believe in helping out the birds in winter by providing seeds, but becoming overrun with squirrels cleaning up the leftovers could be inviting trouble.
When I took the photos on this page, I thought I just had to share them. These little guys are so cute. And while looking around for more photos, I discovered the English squirrel (below) who really made me laugh. Those ears are too much. He does have beautiful coloring though.
 RED SQUIRREL |
Squirrels are rodents and can be destructive. Their eagerness to get to food (birdseed in the case of this gray squirrel) means they will chew through plastic and sometimes metal to get it.
Even though red squirrels are smaller than the gray ones, they will also hang precariously on feeders to sneak food not intended for them.
No one has yet been able to keep squirrels out of feeders and in the woods where they belong. They just will not cooperate. So we either don't feed birds, or try to enjoy their cuteness as they rip apart our feeders!
The camera used for these photos of the little squirrels in my yard, is the Sony Cyber-shot. It was a gift from my kids last Christmas.
I've had fun playing with it, but haven't used most of the features. It does have an adjustable viewing screen, and Intelligent Auto Adjustment (makes me look good) - so I really don't have to do much to get these great pics.
It also has a cool panoramic mode which allows for taking a "moving" photo (the camera moves) to give you a long, landscape view.
The squirrel photos were taken from inside my house - through the semi-dirty sliding door glass, and through the deck rails, so it has a great zoom - 20x.
 | Sony Cybershot DSC-HX1 9.1MP 20x Optical Zoom Digital Camera with Super Steady Shot Image ... The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 is a digital still camera and according to Sony is the world's first digital still camera with a sweep panorama mode for taking seamless 224-degree ... Only $499.99 |
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What do you think of squirrels?
Thanks 2uesday. I hope they will survive too.
The red squirrels were here for centuries then in the 1870 s the Victorians introduced the grey squirrel to our countryside. The greys are larger in size and when they compete with the reds the reds often decline in numbers. Grey squirrels also are carriers of a disease which kills the red squirrels but not the greys. The Victorians had lots of good ideas but this was not one of them. I hope our little red squirrels can survive for future generations to enjoy.
I am sorry to hear that your English red squirrels are a rare sight. Who brought them over from the US anyway? These red ones sit in the trees and chatter angrily at my cats.
Lovely photos of squirrels. Our native English red squirrels are on the decline due to competition from the grey squirrels that were imported. I love to catch a glimpse of the English red squirrels when out walking as they are such colourful little characters.
I know squirrels can be real pest, but they really are adorable:) For a town kid like me they are so rare I just can't think about them different.
We have a few squirrels around our house but thankfully they are not the demanding kind :).
We have a rather large back yard and when those cute squirrels come out and explore it is so fun and relaxing watching them. We have a few families of squirrels here in PA.
I love squirrels! I enjoy watching them here in one of city parks. Beautiful and funny animals they are.
The red squirrels that are native to the UK have become very rare. This has been mainly due to the introduction of the grey squirrel from America. There are now only a few places in the UK where red squirells can be seen. Grey squirrels are considered pests here, although they do look cute.
I adore my squirrels in the backyard! The Blue Jays kept taking ALL the food i was throwing out for the squirrels, so i had to buy a squirrel feeder to keep the birds out. I still throw seeds out for them too. I have a little red squirrel, a HUGE red squirrel (i swear he is the size of a beaver) and many grey squirrels. They are my entertainment while i drink coffee and watch them from my window. Love them!